Register for a PhD and Postdoc Career Development Series
This winter and spring, Northwestern Career Advancement (NCA) and The Graduate School (TGS) will facilitate an in-person career development series for PhD students and postdoctoral scholars on the Chicago campus. The series will consist of monthly hour-long workshops from Tuesday, January 21 – Tuesday, May 13, as well as two alumni panels during the weeks of March 31 and May 19.
All sessions will take place in the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center at 303 E. Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611.
Designed as a career development course, participants will:
- understand career tools and resources available through Northwestern to help navigate the job search.
- be able to articulate their relevant skills and experiences to different audiences.
- understand the role values play in career exploration and determining career pathways.
- develop an understanding of best practices for networking, applying, and interviewing for non-academic positions.
- engage with alumni and professionals to learn about different career paths.
While it is not required to attend all sessions, it is strongly recommended, as the series builds competencies. Register below for the following sessions and email postdocs@northwestern.edu with any questions.
Session 1: PhD Job Search Resources and Smart Professional Goal Setting
Tuesday, January 21 from 3:00–4:00 PM, Searle Seminar Room
To kick off the series, we welcome PhD students and postdocs at all levels and will explore job search strategies and resources offered at Northwestern. Participants will exploree resources for all disciplines and career pathways. The workshop concludes with a framework for establishing professional goals at every stage of degree progress and introduces IDPs for PhDs.
Session 2: Identifying the Right Roles for You: Skill, Values, and Your Career
Tuesday, February 25 from 3:00–4:00 PM, Searle Seminar Room
In this session, we’ll engage with self-assessment activities to identify what you want to do and how you want to do it in your post-PhD life. We’ll consider your skills, values, interests and goals and set action items based on that information to explore options, pursue professional networks, and ultimately target the right roles for you.
Session 3: Developing Professional Relationships On and Offline
Tuesday, March 11 from 3:00–4:00 PM, Searle Seminar Room
This workshop will delve into the importance of developing professional relationships, the role they play in career exploration, and effective ways to communicate professionally on and offline about your PhD experience. Attendees will review LinkedIn best practices, exploring alumni platforms and networks and discuss communication approaches and goals.
Please note: This third session will be followed by an alumni career panel during the week of March 31.
**Bonus Workshop: Academic Careers in Research Panel
Tuesday, April 1 from 2:30–3:30 PM, Searle Seminar Room
As part of our PhD and Postdoc Career Development Series, we will be exploring different career pathways in academic research. We're excited to welcome NU alumni and faculty to share insight into how they navigated their job search and interview process(es), especially any surprises or challenges along the way. Panelists will discuss expectations in their current roles and general advice and lessons learned from post-graduate experiences.
REGISTER HERE FOR THE CAREER PANEL
Session 4: Best Practices in Writing Non-Academic Application Materials for PhDs
Tuesday, April 22 from 3:00–4:00 PM, Searle Seminar Room
In this session, we’ll discuss the difference between academic CVs and resumes and best practices for writing compelling non-academic application documents. We’ll also explore how to leverage AI tools to analyze job descriptions to write more effective and targeted application materials.
Session 5: Behavioral Interviewing & Salary Negotiation for PhDs
Tuesday, May 13 from 3:00–4:00 PM, Searle Seminar Room
Attendees will learn how to prepare for behavioral interview questions and stand out as strong candidates across all industries of interest. This interactive workshop focuses on classic fit questions and how to frame their unique PhD experiences for specific positions. Attendees will also have an opportunity to think about the negotiation process and navigating multiple search processes.
Please note: This fifth session will be followed by an alumni career panel during the week of May 19.
**Bonus Workshop: Industry Careers Panel
Thursday, May 22 from 3:00–4:00 PM, Baldwin Auditorium
As part of our PhD and Postdoc Career Development Series, we will be exploring different non-academic career pathways. We're excited to welcome NU alumni to share insight into how they navigated their job search and interview process(es), especially any surprises or challenges along the way. Panelists will discuss expectations in their current roles and general advice and lessons learned from post-graduate experiences.